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https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v5i2.917
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Trafficking and Syrian refugee smuggling: evidence from the Balkan Route
[journal article]
Abstract As of March 2016, 4.8 million Syrian refugees were scattered in two dozen countries by the civil war. Refugee smuggling has been a major catalyst of human trafficking in the Middle East and Europe migrant crises. Data on the extent to which smuggling devolved into trafficking in this refugee wave is... view more
As of March 2016, 4.8 million Syrian refugees were scattered in two dozen countries by the civil war. Refugee smuggling has been a major catalyst of human trafficking in the Middle East and Europe migrant crises. Data on the extent to which smuggling devolved into trafficking in this refugee wave is, however, scarce. This article investigates how Syrian refugees interact with smugglers, shedding light on how human smuggling and human trafficking interrelated on the Balkan Route. I rely on original evidence from in-depth interviews (n = 123) and surveys (n = 100) with Syrian refugees in Jordan, Turkey, Greece, Serbia, and Germany; as well as ethnographic observations in thirty-five refugee camps or other sites in these countries. I argue that most smugglers functioned as guides, informants, and allies in understudied ways—thus refugee perceptions diverge dramatically from government policy assumptions. I conclude with a recommendation for a targeted advice policy that would acknowledge the reality of migrant-smuggler relations, and more effectively curb trafficking instead of endangering refugees.... view less
Keywords
slave trade; smuggling; crime fighting; right of asylum; migration; flight; Syria; counseling; migration policy
Classification
Migration, Sociology of Migration
Criminal Sociology, Sociology of Law
Free Keywords
Balkanroute
Document language
English
Publication Year
2017
Page/Pages
p. 28-38
Journal
Social Inclusion, 5 (2017) 2
Issue topic
Perspectives on human trafficking and modern forms of slavery
ISSN
2183-2803
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed